Contents

Chapter 535

Naruto questions the presence of more Konohaninja on the island. Iruka and the others try to trick Naruto into staying in the temple. Naruto enters Sage Mode and forces his way out of the temple. Outside, Naruto senses others fighting in the battlefields with Sage Mode. Iruka explains the situation. Naruto remembers Nagato's words on war and says he'll end the war and endure it by himself. Iruka tries to convince Naruto to stay, letting him know what he thinks of him. Iruka tries to keep Naruto from leaving with a barrier, but Naruto escapes it with his Nine-Tails' chakra. Naruto finds a note from Iruka in his forehead protector, asking him to come back alive. Naruto keeps on towards the battlefields.

Chapter 538

As Naruto (in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode) and Killer B head towards the battlefield, the Nine-Tails pulls Naruto into his subconscious and berates him for squandering its chakra like that. Naruto and the fox have a conversation and the fox tells him to stop being naive as there was no way he could shoulder the hatred of an entire war and Sasuke. After a flashback of Naruto and Sasuke while in the Academy, Naruto walks into the Nine-Tails' cage and brings down the torii to pin the fox down. Naruto then stares dead into the Nine-Tails' eye and brimming with confidence tells him that he will do something about the war and Sasuke.

Chapter 539

The Nine-Tails recalls Naruto's growth. Naruto says he'll do something about the Nine-Tails' hatred as well, one day. In turn, the Nine-Tails reproaches him for thinking he can do it. In the battlefield, Neji collapses from overuse of the Byakugan; so, Kiba has him go to the medical unit. Nagato and Itachi talk about Akatsuki, their dōjutsu and what their summoner has in mind for them. Itachi states that the combination of his Mangekyō Sharingan, coupled with Nagato's Rinnegan could be almost unstoppable. At the Logistical Support and Medical Division, medical-nin heal the wounded. Three jōnin-level medical-nin: Toyosa, Takemaru and Hino are later found dead. The sensors say they have not detected the enemy, and suspicion arises that someone is being controlled. Sakura argues that despite that, they must keep healing the shinobi. Neji opts to find the spy. Sakura receives a love letter from another shinobi but tells him she has feelings for someone else. Two medical-nin are later seen preparing to get back to work, but Neji then reveals himself as the killer. He attacks and presumably kills the two medical-nin.

Chapter 540

After a short talk with an Iwa shinobi, Sakura is shown pondering her feelings for Sasuke. The Iwa-nin leaves the tent. "Neji " enters the tent and startles Sakura. Itachi and Nagato discuss Tobi's strategy while waiting near a shrine, and the real Neji is seen still in the battlefield, complaining to Kiba that he doesn't want to go to the the medical compound. Kiba tells Neji that getting himself killed from overexertion won't impress anyone, and chides Neji when he can't even tell Kiba and Akamaru apart when he starts directing his responses to Akamaru instead of him. Hinata and Shino keep on watch with the Byakugan and kikaichū respectively. Shino tells her not to overdo it, to which Hinata responds that they are fighting the war to protect Naruto. "Neji " asks Sakura where Shizune is, and she tells him she's tending to Tonton's leg. "Neji", assuming Tonton is a human, says that at least a leg injury is better than a hand injury, which would prevent Tonton from forming seals, arousing Sakura's suspicion that something with Neji is amiss. He asks her to take a look at his arm, which he claims is still causing him pain, simultaneously reaching for a kunai with his free hand, when Sakura slams him into the ground before he can stab her. The "Neji " reverts into a White Zetsu clone, and recalling Yamato's report, Sakura figures out how the clone was able to imitate Neji perfectly. She then informs the HQ of her findings. Meanwhile, the White Zetsu continue their assassinations under the cover of night. At the headquarters, Inoichi and Ao relay the reports they receive to Shikaku, and he tries to formulate a strategy. A and Tsunade then intercept Naruto and Killer B as they head towards the battlefield.

Chapter 541

The Raikage declares that he won't let Naruto and B go any further, and Naruto attempts to reason with him, albeit unsuccesfully. He then pleads Tsunade to act, but she refuses, stating that she can't take individual action as the Hokage this time. Naruto tries to escape, but the Raikage intercepts him. Tsunade marvels that Naruto is able to keep up with the Raikage, who states that he is the fastest shinobi alive now that the Fourth Hokage has passed away. He angrily berates Naruto that he is just like his father — a hot-headed idiot — and that if the Fourth Hokage, who Jiraiya had called the Saviour of this World, had succeeded in dealing with the Nine-Tailed Fox that they would never be in this situation. The Raikage states that if Naruto still refuses to stand down, then he will have no choice but to kill him in order to prevent Tobi's plan from coming to fruition, and moves to attack him, but is stopped by B. The Raikage angrily tells them that they are jinchūriki and cannot act on their own. Tsunade is furious that the Raikage would attempt to act without the approval of the rest of the Kage, and that he immediately went for Naruto, to which the Raikage replies that he would kill his brother too, if and when the time came, but that presently B is the more useful jinchūriki. B refuses to move aside, telling his brother that he's not merely a weapon, but an individual with things he loves and would fight for. They bump fists, and the Raikage recalls the time B was chosen to be his brother and partner.

Chapter 542

A's flashback continues. The two "brothers" go on several missions together, on one of which they are joined by A's cousin. A and his cousin discuss the possibility of Killer B becoming the next jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails. A wonders if B will have enough control to suppress the Eight-Tails. A's cousin reflects on what it means to be a jinchūriki, and despite outwardly appearing to have everything, what a jinchūriki really needs is something to fill the hole in their heart and give them strength. Later, A and B are shown attending A's cousin's funeral. A sets B the goal of matching his own strength, to which B replies that someday he will surpass his brother. The day arrives when the Eight-Tails will be sealed in B, and A tells B that from here on out, things will be different. They bump fists, and A says that no matter what happens, he'll be there for him. Sometime later, A clashes with Minato for the first time. Minato commends B for his bravery, and tells A that he should find out his brother's values as a person — what B holds most important — before he became neither a human nor a jinchūriki.

Chapter 543

The Fourth Raikage tells Minato to save his nonsense, and runs in to attack. Minato moves to stab B, but B too has a blade pointing at Minato. Minato states that he's taken a liking to B. In the present, Naruto moves to attack the Raikage, but misses. B and A trade blows, and B attempts to use the Lightning Release: Lariat against his brother, who claims that B's Lightning Release: Lariat is inferior to his own. The Raikage calls for Tsunade's aid, but instead, she moves to stand in front of Naruto and B, remembering Naruto's promise that he wouldn't die until he became the Hokage, arguing that were Naruto to die, the next jinchūriki wouldn't be able to control the Nine-Tails as well as Naruto can. The Raikage asks what guarantee they have that Naruto will succeed. B again tries his Lightning Release: Lariat against the Raikage. The brothers recall the time the Third Raikage passed away, when A told B that he didn't need to use the Lightning Release: Lariat anymore, that he should focus solely on improving his Tailed Beast Ball and that he was forbidden to leave the village. Again, A and B clash with their Lightning Release: Lariat, with B's proving the strongest, much to A's dismay. B proceeds to tell him that his and Naruto's power doesn't come from being jinchūriki, and that his brother's words long ago gave him the strength to surpass him.

Chapter 544

At the Allied Shinobi Forces HQ, Shikaku continues to search for a strategy to counter the White Zetsu. Elsewhere, A marvels that his words gave B the strength he needed to surpass him. B states that while a jinchūriki might fall into the trap of losing hope and becoming "hollow", as long as they have something to fight for, they can overcome the tailed beast within and retain their sense of humanity — a light to follow. He refers to these lights as "suns", stating that A is his sun, and Naruto has two "suns" — his mother and his father. Naruto explains to Tsunade and the Raikage how he met his parents and how they believed that he could overcome the Nine-Tails. He also mentions the "masked man", whom A guesses is Tobi. Tsunade marvels at Minato's foresight in perceiving Tobi as that big a threat, and consequently sealing the Nine-Tails inside Naruto. The Raikage asks if Minato, the "Saviour of this World", left everything to Naruto. Naruto replies that he doubts his father thought of himself as a saviour, but that Jiraiya did, and that although Minato may have passed away, he and Kushina instilled in Naruto their faith that he could finish their job and fulfil that role. Tsunade asks A to let Naruto pass — to believe in Naruto. Naruto dodges the Raikage's fastest attack, to both B and Tsunade's astonishment, vowing that he won't fail. The Raikage states that he wanted to test Naruto in his own way, and that he is only the second person in the world to dodge his top-speed punch, telling Naruto that the saviour is alive and well within him, and allowing him to continue on, towards the battlefield. Back at the Allied Shinobi Forces HQ, Shikaku decides on using Naruto's ability to sense evil thoughts and intentions while in Nine-Tails Mode to seek out the White Zetsu impersonating the shinobi. Meanwhile, as the sun begins to rise, Tobi stands with a newly created Six Paths of Pain, composed of the reincarnated jinchūriki — all bearing both the Sharingan and the Rinnegan.